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❝ 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰
𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 ❞
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Get to the point, Damon. Why do you want me to come back to Mystic Falls? I already told you—I'm done with the vampire drama," I said, taking a long sip of my coffee.

It hadn't even been a month since I left Mystic Falls, and the phone calls had already started. It was literally seven in the morning. Couldn't he have waited until a more reasonable hour?

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you haven't missed us. Not even a little bit?" Damon replied, his tone as infuriatingly smug as ever.

I didn't answer. Of course I had missed them. I missed all of them, they were my friends, my family. It hurt not being there to support them. But after everything that happened with Klaus, the sacrifice, and Aunt Jenna's death, I needed a break.

And coming to New York was probably one of the best decisions I'd ever made. For once, I could breathe without looking over my shoulder for the next supernatural disaster.

"Madi, I can hear your heartbeat. What's wrong?" Damon's voice softened slightly, worry seeping through his usual snark.

I sighed, setting my coffee down. Damon and I had built something rare in Mystic Falls—a bond that could weather anything. He was my drinking buddy, my best friend, and the only person who seemed to understand me without needing explanations. And, annoyingly, he could always tell when something was off.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," I lied, hoping he'd let it go.

"Uh-huh. Sure you are."

I rolled my eyes, steering the conversation elsewhere. "How's everyone there? Have you heard anything from Stefan?"

There was a pause on his end, a faint exhale that made me sit up straighter.

"Technically, that's the reason I called," he said, his tone unreadable.

I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. "Come again?"

I never trusted Damon's ideas. They were either too impulsive, too reckless, or just plain stupid. Knowing him, it was probably all three.

"Me and Elena need your detective skills to track down Stefan. And before you start with the whole 'no, I'm done' speech, just hear me out. Stefan isn't gone, Madi. He can't be. We need to find him."

His words hit me harder than I expected. Stefan. The image of his face flashed in my mind—haunted but kind, selfless to a fault. Last I knew, he had sacrificed himself to save Damon from Tyler's hybrid bite, handing himself over to Klaus. God only knows where Klaus had taken him—or what he was doing to him.

"Wow," I said, raising a brow even though he couldn't see me. "Are you drunk? Or do you actually care about your brother?"

"You're ruining the moment, dumbass," Damon shot back, his tone laced with sarcasm.

There he was—back to his usual self. For a moment, I was relieved. I'd worried that without me around to keep him in check, Damon might spiral again. But this? This felt... different.

Damon loved his brother more than he let on. He'd never admit it, but I knew better. Beneath all the quips and bravado, Damon would go to the ends of the earth for Stefan. And now, he was asking me to help him do just that.

"So?" Damon prompted, his voice filled with a hope that made my chest tighten.

I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly. Leaving Mystic Falls had been my way of protecting myself—from the grief, the danger, and the endless chaos. But how could I say no to this? To them?

"I'm on my way," I said, hanging up before he could gloat.

As I set my phone down, I stared out the window at the bustling New York streets below. A part of me felt dread creeping in, but another part—one I'd tried to ignore—felt something else.

Home.

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